Patients with hidradenitis suppurativa/acne conglobata attending a university medical center were evaluated for the presence of an associated arthritis. Of 44 subjects, 21 had objective evidence of inflammatory arthropathy. Of these 21, all adults, 11 were women and 17 black Americans; clinically, 18 had peripheral arthritis, 15 axial arthropathy and 12 both. Clinical and laboratory findings were characteristic of those seen in other seronegative spondyloarthropathies, except for lack of association with HLA-B27.